Doing the Will of the Father: Living the Way God Intended

By Ricky Tutor

A miracle took place two thousand years ago. God Almighty laid aside His glory and appeared on earth as a man. For a brief time in His earthly existence, He emptied Himself of His divinity and literally became a man in every way. This is precisely what happened the day Jesus was born in Bethlehem. He humbled Himself to the level and status of man to become equal with the ones He created. This lifes journey is a test for mankind to see who is going to heaven and who is going to hell when they die. Jesus said, Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Jesus came not only to die for the sins of the world but also to show us by example how to do the will of the Father.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 20, 2010
• ISBN: 9781450043007

Ricky Tutor

Ricky Tutor began his journey with the Lord in September of 1980. Not too long after his conversion, his desire to find out what it’s all about began to grow. In over thirty years of study, this desire has not left him to this very day. Eventually, he realized that the desire he had was a God-given desire. His desire, plus his ability to write books, revealed his calling—sharing with others what it’s all about. His first book, What It’s All About, was published in 2007. This book advanced into a larger book called Doing the Will of the Father, which was published in 2010. The God Journey book is the perfected and more advanced version of both these books. Ricky Tutor was born in Sardis, Mississippi, but has lived most of his life in the state of Illinois. He and his wife, Donna, live in Joliet, Illinois. They are members of the Word of Life Christian Center.

Book preview

Doing

the Will

of

the Father

Living the Way God Intended

Ricky Tutor

Copyright © 2010 by Ricky Tutor.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

New American Standard Bible

© 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995

and King James Version

Cross art by: Kriss Szkurlatowski (http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1102877)

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

73351

CONTENTS

Introduction

SECTION ONE

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

SECTION TWO

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

SECTION THREE

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

SECTION FOUR

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

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Introduction

In my early teenage years I was a troublemaker. My lifestyle revolved around fighting, stealing, drugs, and alcohol. I lived by my feelings. If it felt good, whether it was right or wrong, I wanted to do it. I stood against those who were in authority, and I engaged in destructive actions without giving much thought to the outcome.

But then there came a time when the subject of hell began weighing very heavy on my mind. I remember thinking if I get into a fight with somebody and they pull out a knife and stab me and I die, I’m going to hell. I realized I was playing Russian roulette with my eternity.

Finally the day came when I chose to repent. I crossed over into the safety zone where my sins were forgiven. What a wonderful feeling to be in the peace, safety, and security of being on God’s side of the line.

The word repent means a change of mind or conversion. In the Old Testament, this word paints a picture of prophets calling people to turn from evil or to turn from their sinful ways to the ways of the Lord. It is the call to turn or to change one’s attitude and ways.

In the New Testament, this word demands a complete, radical, and total change. It is a decision to completely change or to entirely turn around. In its most basic sense, the word repent describes a change of mind. We are to make a complete turnaround from our old way of living to God’s way.

If one accepts there is a God who created us, then that God also owns us. If this God is the God of the Bible, He owns us and thus has a right to set the rules by which we must live.

The message of the cross and God’s command to repent is for mankind in every part of the earth. God commands men everywhere to repent regardless of their background, social status, educational degrees, or skin color. There is no other option and no way out of this divine command. It is God’s requirement for every person on Earth if he or she intends to enter the kingdom of Heaven.

SECTION ONE

CROSSING OVER

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Chapter One

I Was a

Troublemaker

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During my first year in junior high, while in sixth grade, I joined the sport of wrestling. I joined the sport to be the wrestling manager; I suppose because I wasn’t confident enough to be a wrestler.

But then something happened that changed the way I saw myself. In fact, it changed the course of my life. During gym class, the teacher announced that the activity of the day would be the sport of wrestling. The star attraction was a boy named Billy.

At my school, students were not allowed to join the sport of wrestling until they were in sixth grade. But Billy came from a different organization where you were allowed to join at a much younger age. He had years of wrestling experience. So the eyes of the class were focused on him because if you want to learn how to wrestle, watch Billy!

The students gathered around the wrestling mat with Billy at the center, and guess who they chose to wrestle Billy—the shy, timid, lacking-in-confidence wrestling manager. So I started wrestling Billy, and to my amazement, I was beating him. Billy then whispered in my ear, Let me win.

All of a sudden, a light came on. I had an ability that I didn’t know I had. Self-confidence arose inside me, and from that day forth, being a wrestling manager was a thing of the past. I became a wrestler, and by the time I was in eighth grade, I did something that nobody had previously done in that school. I went the entire year undefeated, and for my last wrestling match, I was going for first place in the state of Illinois.

My last wrestling opponent, who I later found out had flunked a year and was already supposed to be in high school, managed to outpoint me in my final wrestling match of the year. What I achieved in wrestling those short three years, going from a wrestling manager to a second-in-state winner, gave me a firm belief in my own ability and helped to prepare me for my next big challenge.

Fighting the Bully

One day, I walked into the school restroom and saw something that was very appalling to me. I watched a bully named Keith grab the head of another student and violently bang it against the sink.

My earliest memories of Keith went back to grade school. We went to a school where physical pain was used as a method to punish and correct the students. I witnessed one teacher slap a student in the back and whack a student’s hands with a ruler. Another teacher would slap you in the face, and another teacher would make an example out of you by bringing you in front of the class and give you the paddle.

The threat of physical pain was enough to persuade most of our class to stay within the boundaries and avoid these kinds of teacher confrontations. But Keith was a different story. He would defy the odds. Our class would watch in amazement as this headstrong and determined-to-have-his-own-way little boy would stand up to our teacher with angry defiance.

While Keith did what he could to have his own way in class, he dominated the playground. He seemed to get a lot of pleasure out of punching the other students to show them who is boss. But I had an advantage over him. I could outrun him. I found out that the only way I could keep from being hit by him was to outrun him.

Then in our junior high years, Keith became bigger, stronger, and brashly self-confident. If there was something he didn’t like about you, he would let you know about it. It seems that he would choose from four different categories: tell you what he thinks about you, punch you, beat you, or challenge you to an after-school fight.

Finally, the day came when I became his target. He was seated at the desk next to me when he assaulted me with the most obscene words I had ever heard before. Using the F word, he asked me if I had sex with my own mother. I then proceeded to kick his desk and said to him, After school!

The news spread around the school about the big fight. When school was over, we walked outside, and a crowd of students followed us as we began our search for a secluded place to fight.

I could feel the adrenaline pumping. I was no longer the same person who ran from him in grade school. I was no longer the wrestling manager who was unsure of himself. Several years of physical exercise, training, and achievement had now placed me in a position of strength. It was time for me to redeem myself.

When we found our secluded area, the crowd gathered around with me and Keith in the center. Then two words came out of Keith’s mouth: No wrestling! I knew I had the advantage. I discovered by experience that a wrestler who can fight has the upper hand over a person who is merely tough with his fists. Simply take them down to the ground, and you have them where you want them.

Friends with the Bully

Not too long after our fight, Keith and I became friends. We respected each other’s strength. I admired him for his courage to take a stand against those who are in authority and his guts to engage in destructive actions regardless of the outcome. He was better than me in doing that which is wrong.

By hanging around Keith, I was introduced to things I had never experienced before. One day, I followed him to the back of our school where we would look through a broken glass window and watch the girls in their locker room. Another day, I followed him into a Laundromat where he snatched a roll of coins from a woman when she wasn’t looking.

Then we entered high school and began doing drugs together. We would go across the street during lunch break, get high, and then return to school to finish out the school day.

I remember one particular day when we were sitting on top of a store across the street from our school buzzing on LSD (which probably